U.S. students can purchase a World Explorer membership for 12 months at a discounted rate of  $4.99/month (Reg. $39.99 for World Explorer). The membership will automatically renew up to 11 additional months, unless you cancel. Once you have used a full year of the discount, you’ll need to reverify your student status.

World Explorer allows you to access all U.S. & international records on Ancestry. 

Verify your student status 

You must be a student enrolled at a US Title IV-accredited college or university. Eligibility is determined through our verification partner, SheerID.  

1. Verify your student eligibility, by using SheerID. (We verify your student status through a third-party service called SheerID.)
2. After student verification is complete, you’ll receive an email from SheerID with a unique coupon code and a link. 

Activate your World Explorer membership

Once your student status has been verified, you can activate a 12 month World Explorer membership for $4.99/month with the student discount.

1. After verifying you’re a student, you’ll receive an email from SheerID. Click the link in the email to redeem your student discount. 
2. Select Have a coupon? then enter your individual code, from your SheerID email.
3. If you aren’t signed in, sign in to your Ancestry account. If you don’t have an Ancestry account, create one.
4. Complete the checkout process. If needed, after signing in select the shopping cart icon in the top right corner.

Note: Your World Explorer membership will auto-renew once for up to 11 additional monthly terms or until canceled. After 12 months you will need to re-verify your student status with SheerID. 

Offer is valid for up to four (4) total years of an Ancestry subscription at discounted price, unless the program is terminated by Ancestry.

Frequently asked questions

What are the requirements for a student discount?
You need to be a student enrolled in a U.S. Title IV accredited college or university who meet verification qualifications. You’ll need to be verified by a third party company, SheerID.

I’m a current Ancestry member. Can I get the discount?
If you are eligible for the student discount, you will need to cancel your current membership and then you can join at the student rate at the end of your membership period.

How do you know I’m a student?
We verify your student status through a third-party service called SheerID. Learn more.

At what price will my membership renew?
Your membership will automatically renew once for an additional 11 months at $4.99/month.

After 12 months, qualified students may sign up for another discounted membership with new verification of eligibility. Offer valid for up to four (4) total years of an Ancestry subscription at discounted price, unless the program is terminated by Ancestry. Ancestry reserves the right to terminate the student discount offer at any time at its sole discretion.

How do I cancel my membership?
You can cancel your membership at any time by following the instructions for Canceling a Membership.